Three Chords and the Truth UK

The setting was magical. The show was engagingly eclectic, showered with alluring creativity. If you sought an evening of live music to bring the curtain down on a busy gig year, Dan Whitehouse and his talented team of collaborators had the perfect all-encompassing gift. From the grand tier level of Birmingham Symphony Hall, the view onto Centenary Square was illuminated by the big wheel in perpetual motion with the rhythm of the show. Inside, a packed room was transported from futuristic Tokyo Bay to the post industrial Black Country with a few stops in between. One moment beat boxing filled the air, the next it was piano ballads. The common bonds were words, ideas and imagery; music with multi-media intent. Different facets took the performance in several directions. A solo beat boxer mixing poetry with music, a guest guitarist, a percussionist and pianist weaving their instrumental prowess plus an all-star cast finale, yet the gel was Dan Whitehouse: electric guitarist, lone vocalis...

Three takes from this show: a lovely tribute at the start for Greenwood bassist Dave Sutherland who sadly passed away earlier this year; the teasing comment of maybe a return to the studio and a timely reminder to how special the music of Kim Lowings has been over the last dozen years. Life has put the promotional side of her music on hold since the pandemic with no new recorded material and gigs a scarce occurrence. Such is the local love, she can always pop across the A449 to Ashwood Marina and guarantee a full house where Woodman Folk Club have championed her for many years. After an entertaining opening set from local duo Lintel, the stage was set for Kim Lowings and the Greenwood circa December 2025, namely a trio format with Andrew Lowings on bouzouki, guitar and bodhran (not simultaneously), Tim Rogers on percussion and Kim herself on guitar and trademark dulcimer. Through a combination of traditional, original and cover songs, the music laid the ground for a wonderful display ...

  Tradition has to start somewhere, so why not early December in Kings Heath. The sample of two consecutive years may be small but a ritual is born. Chris Cleverley produces seasonal EP releases with a difference: short, focussed and unique. Following the launch of In the Shadow of John the Divine last December, the Hare and Hounds was once again the Birmingham venue of choice as this year’s God of All Things gently eased its way into the world. These evenings are accurately headlined Chris Cleverley and Friends as they evolve into something of a festive folk revue with the spotlight shared by an assorted gathering of similarly styled musicians. For the second successive year the manic month of December was warmly ushered in leaving the audience refreshed with a gentle glow. The line up was the same as last year with a notable addition. Joining Sam Kelly, Kathy Pilkington, Minnie Birch and Kim Lowings was Midlands singer-songwriter Dan Whitehouse who has collaborated with Cleverley...

Twelve months ago the review of My Darling Clementine’s Kitchen Garden show featured a short paragraph and inspired poem, sufficient to sum up an emotional evening. A year later, and the stage is set to assess where the careers of Lou Dalgleish and Michael Weston King are within the spectre of publicly focussed grief. The immediate future lies in the cathartic process of two individual albums, a bold move powered by mutual support. Two highly personal approaches will direct the content, with Michael slightly more experienced in light of his 2023 record.  We had six solo songs shared during the second half of this annual Birmingham renewal. As expected Lou’s had the piano accompaniment and possessed the full emotive sheen. They were fairly explicit about the events of summer 2024, and the aftermath, with a couple getting a first public airing. The full complement is planned to be available in 2026 as the duo aim to forge a new normality. Michael’s three songs each offered a differe...